Custer chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, Black Hills, D.T. [S.D.]) 1880-1890, 1887-02-05
Annual Statement Of the Black Hills AID
Fort Pierre Railroad.

Fort F1trre Railroad.
The animal report Of the railroad
commissioners for the year ending June
30th, 1856, is at hand. From it we
make the following epitome of the re-
port of the condition Of the Black Hills
and Fort Pierre, or as it is more COM
monty called, the Homestake, railroad.
1t will be seen that the road was oper-
ated at a considerable loss to the stock
holders, last year while the year before
it paid a neat profit.
The capital stock of the company is
100000, Of which amount 100000 has
been paid in and 5000 shares of stock
issued divided among five stockholders,
Of whom three are residents of Dakota.
and who own 700 shares.
The total cost of the road and equip
ments, is given at 100000 or an average
Of 10000 per mile The present actual
cash value is given at 100000.
The equipments consist Of three To-
comotives, one passenger car and sixty
freight ears. The earnings of the road
were $70.435.95, and expenses, including
taxes, $Sl $500, mourning a loss Of
$ll ,250.25. The year before, however,
the showing made was a better one as
the road is credited with having paid a
profit Of $23,9l2.70. From the report it
is also learned that the road has a total
length Of track Of fifteen miles, divided
into three sections, on which an average
Of six men have been employed for
each section. The total number of en-
ployes is given at fifty. Five miles Of
new steel rails we're laid and 10000 new
ties. The miles run were $4,000 and the
average number of cars in a train was
eight, the trains weighing thirty-six
tons each exclusive of freight. The
charges for hauling passengers is set
down at five cents a mile, and the speed
of travel ten miles an hour. One re-
markable showing which probably no
other road in the territory can make is
the total absence Of all accidents.
not a single one occurring during the
year.
The officers are: President, George
Hearst; secretary and general superin-
tendent, I. J. Grier; treasurer, James
b. Haggin, assistant general superin-
tendent, and chief engineer, Richard
Blackstone; general solicitor, Ct. G.
Moody The board of directors is com
posed Of George Hearst, James B. Hag-
gin, T. J. Grier, ID. X. Dickinson and q.
&. Moody.
To the residents Of the Hills the ob.
ject of the road and the purpose it sub
serves are well known but those who
reside away from here are probably
ignorant Of the same ard may errone-
ously, class the road with others operat-
ing in the territory and which are built
to connect distant places and serve as
highways for vast tracts Of country.
The road was commenced in 1870, and
was built solely for the purpose of sup.
plying the mines and mills owned by
the Homestake company with timber
and fuel and not for traffic as every
other road built by foreign corporations
now operating in the territory. 1t is
perhaps the only road in the United
States if not in the world, of which the
rails, cars, locomotives and other equip
ments were hauled hundreds of miles
on other roads, and then transported
200 miles on wagons before being finally
put together and placed in actual use.
Every car, locomotive and rail, with the
exception Of the five miles of steel rails
put down last year, were hauled on
mule outfits from Pierre to Lead City.
the starting point. With the exception
Of what few passengers the road carries
it depends solely for its revenue, upon
the Homestake Mining and Milling
company, as IL transports every foot OF
timber used in the mines and mills and
every stick Of fuel consumed in the
mills and hosting works. From time
to time it has been extended, az the
timber at the terminus has been cut
down, in order to lessen the expense of
hauling it by teams to the place of load
ing. This brief history Of the road will
give people outside Of the Hills an idea
Of tho immensely of the works conduct
ed by the famous Homestake
as it is the only corporation, mining or
other, which requires a railroad to sup
ply II Of its many wants. and which,
with the exception of a few months
in each year, the winter months when
the now and cold weather interfere,
gives employment to such road the year
round.-Pioneer.